Do you want to know what the permits to sell food and beverages in Tampa Florida? If you thought about taking advantage of the crowds of tourists on the beaches of Florida, selling food is a very good option.
But you must remember that the best thing for you is to stay within the regulations, so below you are going to read the permits and licenses to open a business in Florida and everything you need to know to be able to carry out your business with peace of mind. .
Licenses to sell food and beverages in Tampa USA
You need one food sales license whether you’ve thought of touring the beaches of Tampa as a street vendor or you thought of placing a truck with food and drinks to sell.
Licenses for the sale of food are distributed and supervised by the commercial and professional regulation department in Florida.
You should also know that as a food vendor there are guidelines that you must follow and that correspond to mobile food establishments.
These establishments in turn depend on the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. In fact, most food providers need to acquire a license.
These include food and beverage sales on the beach, food sales at a festival, barbecue stalls or food stalls at any of the theme parks.
However, there are some exceptions, because if your intention is to know the permits to sell food and beverages in Tampa USAYou should know that you will not need them if you choose to sell packaged food.
In fact, you can think of selling ice cream, so in this case that stand, peanuts or vegetables, does not require a license.
Even if you have thought of a festival to take advantage of the sale of food you can sell it packaged or if you belong to a non-profit organization you should not worry about the license because you do not need it.
In Tampa, permits for the sale of food and beverages are not required if you plan to place a stand in a school or church.
How to obtain permits to sell food and beverages in Tampa USA
Permits can be obtained on the website of the business and professional regulation department.
You can apply for the license from the internet. The State must process your application and then as a food supplier you will receive a safety and health inspection and with an approved inspection you can start with the sale of food.
Before submitting your application to obtain the license, you must be clear about compliance with the guide for mobile food establishments in Florida.
Well, they are simple rules but you must know and comply with them, since you can only sell food that is suitable for human consumption, which indicates that you will not be able to offer your customers, for example, pet food.
It is not allowed to maintain physical contact with the food that you place for sale, that is, you cannot touch it with your hands.
Even food must always be kept protected against climatic changes, which means that you have to think that you should not break the cold chain, since the contamination of the environment is taken into account.
The legal rules for obtaining the permits to sell food and beverages in Tampa: There are very strict legal rules to establish a business in Tampa as in any other city in South Florida.
Well, whether you start in the sale operation or buy a business that already exists, it is a commercial activity that needs to be regulated by law with the corresponding occupational license from the municipality, county or city where the business is established.
The occupational license is necessary to establish any business, even if it is established in a home of its own or it is a small food and beverage stand.
Therefore the permits to sell food and beverages in Tampa USA They require first of all the obtaining of the occupational license in order to avoid the closure of your business or a costly fine.
The cost of the occupational license varies, but if you have thought about opening a food and beverage business, a restaurant is a possibility, so you will be exposed to public attention.
Therefore, that cost will have to do with the number of people who will be authorized to serve, the number of employees you hire and in turn the cost will depend on the annual sales you make.
To obtain the occupational license you will have to go through the construction department and the Tampa zoning department.
The construction department will determine if the type of business you plan to open is allowed in the area and if it is allowed, it will issue the occupational certificate with which you can apply for the occupational license.
The certificate you have accessed will assure you that your business is allowed in the district and that the structure it occupies is suitable for the type of business.
For this reason, you must be clear about the address where the business will be established, the name, the type of business, the square footage that the physical space will occupy and the folio number of the property.
Although it is a short procedure, it is convenient that you do it personally in the zoning permits section and you will obtain the certificate faster than if you do it by phone or online.
When your occupancy permit is approved, you can apply for an occupational license, for which you need to have your photo ID or driver’s license with you, your federal or social security ID card, your business address, and the approval of the zoning.